Open your preferred digital audio workstation, or DAW. Double-click on the desktop icon. DAWs, such as Logic, Pro Tools and Mixcraft, let you record, edit, mix and master your music using your computer.
Click "File" and select "Open Recent." Select the session you want to work on from the drop-down menu. Depending on which program you use, either the last edited session or a brand new session open automatically. If a brand new session opens, call up the correct session. If you want to work on the file in isolation, use the blank session. To open a blank session when you have a work in progress open, click "File," and select "Open New."
Click on the file that you want to apply Autotune to -- for example "Vocal 1." By clicking on it, you assign subsequent actions and commands to the file, rather than globally to the master mix. If working in a new session, click "File," Import" and select the desired file from the menu.
Hit "Play" so that you can hear the effect of the Autotune in real-time.
Click "Plugins" and select "Autotune" from the drop-down menu. This opens Autotune in a separate window.
Click on the "Key" tab. Enter the key using your keyboard.
Adjust the "Retune Speed" dial to your preferences. Setting it to zero will induce the "Cher effect." Because the retune speed is minimized, there's an obvious jump from the original note to the corrected note. This is what creates the distinctively artificial feeling that characterizes the vocal in "Believe."
Click on the "Input Type" tab and make a selection. For a natural effect, select the option that best suits the audio in the file, for example "Soprano." However, you can "trick" Autotune by making a selection that doesn't match the audio. For example, if you select "Tenor" when the audio is in the bass register, Autotune makes the correction to a different register, creating a noticeable pitch leap.
Tweak the remaining parameters to your preference. For example, the "Tracking" dial determines the sensitivity of the correction software. Set it to "Relaxed" to make Autotune correct only very out-of-tune notes or set it to "Choosy" to make Autotune correct any note that deviates even slightly from perfect pitch.